K-2's Weekly News!

Wow!  What a busy and exciting week we have had in K-2!  Please keep reading to find out all that we have been learning about.

Math

This week in math we introduced coins including: quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies.  We studied the coins and talked about the different sizes, colors, and pictures found on each coin.  Then we completed a class sorting activity using our overhead projector.

We also introduced our number book this week, which we will continue to work on throughout the next several weeks.  We also played a class math game called "Give the Next Number."  Using the numbers 1-10, the students practiced counting, identifying, and sequencing the numbers 1-10.  See us in action below!

Jolly Phonics

We learned all 6 sounds in the first Jolly Phonics book.  We will begin learning the letters and sounds from the second Jolly Phonics book next week.  So far we have learned the following letters and sounds:

Ss as in "snake"

Aa as in "ant"

Tt as in "tennis"

Ii as in "igloo"

Pp as in "pig"

Nn as in "nest"

The students continue to do an AMAZING job with their Jolly Phonics notebooks.  Keep up the great work K-2!

Writer's Workshop

This week we introduced the main framework for our Writer's Workshop, which includes the following steps:

1.  Think (think about your topic and what you might draw)

2.  Draw (draw what you pictured in your mind)

3.  Label (listen for the sounds as you write labels for the picture you drew)

4.  Write (use your labels to help you write a word, phrase, or sentence that describes your picture)

The focus for our writing this week was "My Family."  The students did an excellent job thinking, drawing, labeling, and writing.  For now, we will keep our writing pieces in our writing folders.

Rainbows, Color, and Light

After reading A Rainbow of My Own, we conducted an experiment using a prism and the light from our overhead projector to create a rainbow in our classroom.  The children's ooh's and ahh's when the rainbow appeared on the wall were priceless!  They asked so many great questions, and they were able to describe in detail what they had observed.  We drew a picture to record our observations and labeled our pictures to help explain what we saw.  We further explored the concept of color and color mixing by reading the book Mouse Paint and mixing our own paints to learn about primary and secondary colors.

International Dot Day

Using the paints we mixed from our science experiment, the students created their own unique "dots" in honor of International Dot Day-- a day dedicated to reminding students that they matter and to encourage students to "make their mark on the world."  Our dots will be on display in the hallway for all to see!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!